Witness
by Sailor Elf
Summary: Frank and the team are assigned to protect a witness to a crime and they get more than what they bargained for.
1. Crime in Progress

Disclaimer-No one belongs to me. Not even Frank. (WAH!) Any original characters are mine though.

Summary-Frank and the team are assigned to protect a witness to a crime and they get more than what they bargained for.

Author's Note-I can never stop saying this but...THANK YOU DEANA!! Thank you so much for betaing this. It means so much to me (sniff) Be easy on me for this is my first attempt at UC.

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Witness

A young girl ran through the streets, hoping she would not be noticed. She ran into an empty building and carefully walked up to a window. The glass was broken and she carefully looked out it, making sure that she wasn't seen.

In the alleyway, she saw several men standing in a circle. They were surrounding two people they'd recently dragged into the alleyway. The two were pleading for their safety.

"Please, don't hurt us!" the woman pleaded.

"Let me think…no!" replied one man.

He appeared to the young girl as the leader of the group. Her eyes narrowed in mild confusion as to what was going to happen next.

The men laughed as they circled the two before the leader gave the signal to attack. The man and woman were quickly beaten, making ters fall down the girl's face as she .

After a few tense moments, the men stopped what they were doing and the leader stepped forward.

"This will be your last moment on this Earth," he laughed.

He pulled out a gun and carefully aimed at the man and the woman. He fired two bullets, hitting the two of them in the head.

"They won't know who did this. They have no clues that would lead them to us!" the leader laughed.

The young girl was watching in awe as she gazed upon the scene until she stepped back and tripped over a large rock. She fell to the floor with a thud.

The group heard the noises coming from inside the supposedly vacant building and the leader looked in the same window she'd been looking out of. He carefully looked over the floor before he came to the young girl lying on her back, obviously scared.

"Guys, we have a small problem here that needs to be fixed. It will be easy to remedy," he said.

He menacingly headed towards the girl. She began to crawl away from him until she quickly climbed to her feet and ran away; the men following close behind her.

"Get her! She is the only one who can positively ID us!" cried the leader. He stopped and let the men run past him, after the young girl. "Kill her and bring me her head once she's dead!" he yelled.

The young girl ran through the streets, rushing by some people, bumping into others. They all looked at her with anger in their faces.

"What do you think you're doing, you punk?" cried one.

"Watch where you're going!" cried another, waving her fist at her.

She ignored all the shouting and screaming that was aimed at her along with the violent tempers that sometimes joined them. She looked back to see that the men were slowly but surely catching up with her. She quickly glanced from side to side and soon spotted a hospital. She quickly headed for it. The men saw this and started to slow down, watching her run inside.

"We can't get her now. She'll have to come out sometime. We'll have to get her once she does," one man said to another.

"What are you thinking? The boss wants her dead! Let's see if we can get her before she spills it to the cops!" replied the other.

"And risk getting caught? Yeah right," the first replied.

He turned around and began to headin the opposite direction. The other man reluctantly followed him back to face the wrath of the boss.

"What? She went into where again?" the leader demanded.

"She went into a hospital boss. We couldn't go after her because of the number of people there. We couldn't have possibly done it without someone seeing us!" one man explained.

The leader turned away from them, putting his hands behind his back. The two patiently waited for him to say something.

"I understand why you did it. She will be dead, sooner or later, before she can really do anything about it. No one will know who did it or why. They haven't figured it yet after all," the boss finally said.

Suddenly, the man twirled around as he pulled out a gun and shot the two men square in the chest. They both fell to the floor, dead.

"If the hired hand can't do anything with a situation, do it yourself. That's what I've always said," he told himself.

He blew across the tip of the gun before putting the gun away.

He started to move away from the lifeless bodies before turning back to them. "Oh yes and one more thing. Sorry I lied," he said with a laugh.

TBC...


	2. First Impressions

2 years later...

Frank walked into The Nest, holding his cup of coffee. He lifted it up to his mouth as he walked through the door, and placed it onto the table as Jake and Monica came over.

"Mornin' Frank," said Jake.

"Good morning," he replied as he shuffled through some papers.

"What's on the agenda for today?" wondered Monica as Alex and Cody walked into the room.

"Nothing really. Right now, we've got nothing too special to do until we're called," Frank replied as he put the folders back on the table. "Though the police have asked us to help them with a double murder case that hasn't really gone anywhere since it started."

"Really? Darn. I was hoping to do something interesting today," Cody said with a smile on his face.

"I don't know what you're so happy about," Frank told him.

"What? What'd I say?" replied Cody, shrugging his shoulders.

Alex laughed.

"I don't know about you Cody," she told him, laughter still in her voice.

"What? You're the ones who have to work with me everyday!" he replied, holding out his arms.

"So Frank, how long has this case been going on?" asked Monica.

Frank looked at the papers in his hands. "Just over two years. They found the bodies in an alleyway. There were no clues, no witnesses, no leads. They were hoping we could shed some light on this."

"You have got to be kidding, Frank! What makes them think we can do anything about it if they haven't found anything for two whole years?" Jake asked him, almost yelling out the question.

"I never kid, you know that. We will find out something that might help them. Besides, what else have we got to do at the moment? Not much. This is better than nothing, even if we do no better than them," Frank replied.

He headed towards the door, not even noticing the others hadn't followed him yet. The four looked at each other before following him, with a sigh.

"He has got to be the most stubborn man I've ever met. He thinks he can do the impossible," mumbled Cody.

"And what makes him think we can even put a dent in this unsolved case? If it's gone on for two years and those guys haven't found no hide nor hair of a clue, what makes him think we will?" wondered Monica as they followed the man.

"It'll probably be unsolved for a long time," Jake muttered.

"Try forever," Cody told him quietly.

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Michelle cautiously walked home from school, heading towards her home. She was walking very slowly; she didn't like her foster home one bit. She soon came in sight of the house and sighed.

"Why does my life have to be like this?" she asked herself before walking in through the door.

"Michelle, where have you been? You've got chores to do and then we've got to get supper. After that, you're doing your homework," came an angry voice.

"Yes, Amelia," she replied, hardly trying to disguise the lack of enthusiasm.

"You know, you've got a lot of guts for a 14-year-old. I've never seen anyone quite like you. No wonder you've never been adopted, with an attitude like that," Amelia told her, crossing her arms.

Michelle rolled her eyes before heading to her room. She threw her bookbag on the bed and plopped down on it. Looking up at the ceiling, she sighed. "Why does my life have to be like this?" she asked herself. "Maybe if I get everything done tonight, I'll be able to go out to do some shopping."

She climbed off the bed and hurried out to do her chores.

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Later that evening, after all the chores were done and supper was eaten, Michelle turned to Amelia. "Amelia, may I got out tonight?" she asked.

"No, you can't. It's a school night. You've got homework to do," the woman immediately replied.

"It's Friday night!" Michelle told her, not believing what she was hearing.

The two began a staring contest. Michelle softly growled, as did Amelia, neither giving to the other. It was Amelia who finally gave an exasperated sigh, lifting her arms and rolling her eyes.

"Fine, go then!" Amelia finally said.

The teen smiled as grabbed her jacket and hurried out the door. She headed down the street, hands in her pocket.

"What to do today?" she said to herself with a smile.

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Frank left the police station, walking out to his car. He and the others were going back to The Nest to finish things up for the weekend. The others came out behind him.

"See Frank? We're not going to find anything. Even if it is only the first day, we still didn't get anywhere," Jake told him.

"It's only our first day on the job. That's why we haven't found anything yet," Frank replied as he pulled out his keys.

Monica looked down the street from side to side. Her gaze came to a teenager walking her way towards them. She didn't think much of her until she walked right through the group. She bumped into Frank, forcing him to stumble a bit.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen. I just lost my balance there for a second," the teen told him.

"It's okay. Just don't let it happen again," he replied, eyeing her carefully.

She waved and walked away from them as Frank went for his keys in his pocket, only to find that his wallet wasn't there. "What the...?" he started. "My wallet is gone!"

"Well, when did you have it last?" asked Cody.

"In the building. Wait a minute..." Frank said.

"That kid!" Alex said, realizing what he was about to say.

"She must have it. Let's go after her and get it back!" Jake told them.

TBC...


	3. A New and Unexpected Assigment

Michelle was quietly laughing as she looked at the wallet sitting in her hand. _'That was way too easy,'_ she said to herself. _'Wonder how much is in here?'_

She opened the wallet only to have her eyes bulge. "Whoa. This guy must have a really good job!" she cried.

She took out the wad of cash, flipping her fingers through it. She counted it before putting it back in. She turned the wallet, taking a glance at the driver's license.

"Let me see here. Who's this guy? Frank Donovan. Federal Agent. Age 32. He is cute though. Very cute," she mumbled to herself.

She continued to talk to herself as she walked down the street. She suddenly stopped in her tracks and looked up, realizing what she had just said.

"Federal Agent!? He's a cop!?" she almost screamed out, taking another look at the photo and badge. "I think I'd better get going now before he decides to play a game with me."

She began to run down the street.

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The group of five hurried in the direction the girl went.

"Where'd she go?" asked Monica as they looked around at the people milling about.

"I don't even see her anymore," Jake said.

Frank was looking straight ahead. He saw someone running through the crowd. He narrowed his eyes and saw it was the young female they had just them passed moments earlier. He decided to give chase, not even letting his teammates know what was happening.

"Frank!" yelled Cody.

"Now where do you think he's going?" wondered Alex.

"I think I know. Look!" replied Jake, pointing up ahead.

The four then saw the teenager as she weaved through the crowd in order to get away from them. They glanced at each other before heading after her as well.

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Michelle rushed past the people, occasionally glancing over her shoulder. She saw that Frank Donovan was already coming after her.

_'He must have noticed that his wallet was gone,'_ she thought to herself as she hurried towards an alleyway. _'He sure notices things in a hurry!'_

She ran into the alleyway and ducked into a doorway. She peeked out through a broken window as Frank walked into the alley. He was cautiously moving forward as he looked around the area, looking for any indication of where she had gone.

She gasped and that was her mistake for he now looked in her direction. Frank hurried up to the window and reached in, pulling her out.

"Alright, give me back my wallet and give it back now!" he threatened her, holding out his other hand.

Michelle stared in awe at him before putting the wallet into his open hand. "There you go," she meekly said as the rest of the group walked in behind them.

"Frank, you found her. I didn't think it would be that easy," Cody told him.

"It wasn't. I wouldn't have found her if it wasn't for her own little mistake," Frank replied, facing the teenager. "Now tell me your name and age."

Michelle averted her stare away from him, now allowing herself to give in to him.

"Answer me! One way or another, you're going to the police," Frank said to the teenager.

Michelle's stare returned to Frank, an angry look on her face. She tried to free herself from his grasp to no avail before giving a small snort.

"Michelle Hana if you really want to know. If you want to check the police records, I'm not in them," she replied. "Besides, I'm 14."

"At least not yet you aren't. We're going straight to the police station," replied Frank

He started to drag her out to the street, much to her protest. The four watched him leave, their mouths wide open.

"I've never seen him act like that before," Cody finally said.

"He's never been pick-pocketed by a kid before," Monica reminded him as she hurried after Frank.

The others soon followed them.

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Frank walked into the police station again to be greeted by Captain Allan Gracer.

"Frank Donovan. Didn't expect to see you again so soon. What brings you back to us? Something on the case we asked you to help with, I hope," he said.

"If it were only that. Has this young lady ever given you trouble before? She just gave me some by stealing my wallet," Frank replied as he held onto the squirming Michelle.

The man looked at her. He carefully took off his glasses, his mouth open in disbelief. Gracer gave a small laugh as he stared at her.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't little Miss Michelle Hana. It's about time someone brought you in," he said to her before turning his attention to Frank. "She's been a troublemaker for the past few years, Frank. Mainly pick-pocketing. That seems to be her specialty. We owe you big time for this."

Frank loosened his grip from her arm and she wriggled free. She angrily crossed her arms and snorted.

"Where'd you find her Frank? By what I've heard about her, you never find the Silent Stalker, she finds you," the man asked him.

"I followed her into an alley not far from here. She hid in a vacant building, saw me coming and got scared; therefore giving away her position," Frank replied as the rest of the team walked into the building.

Captain Gracer appeared stunned as he stared at Frank before motioning them to his office. Frank grabbed Michelle's collar and led her inside as the others followed. Once they were all in, Gracer closed the door.

"You've got to be kidding me Donovan. The nearest alley from here is Death Alley," he finally told him.

"Death Alley? Is that anything like Death Valley?" wondered Cody.

"Cody!" shouted his teammates.

Cody stiffened and held out his arms as if to say, 'what?'

"Death Alley is the place where countless murders have occurred in the past 20 years, thus the name. The most recent one was the case we gave you earlier, from two years ago," Captain Gracer explained.

Frank faced the teen and forcibly grabbed her shoulders. She tried not to wince from the pain as their eyes met.

"Tell me Michelle, what's a 14-year-old girl doing in such a dangerous place?" he demanded.

"It's none of your bloody business Donovan. What I do with my time doesn't concern you!" she replied. "And I'm not a girl so get out of my face."

Monica leaned in towards Jake. "Now who does she remind you of Jake?" she asked him quietly.

"She's 'Frank' written all over her. I never would've imagined that in a million years. A female Frank Donovan," he agreed. "She's so stubborn and relentless, I could swear they were father and daughter."

"Tell us Miss Hana, why were you in Death Alley?" asked the captain.

Michelle looked between the two before her stare came back to Donovan.

"You really want to know why I go there? I go there because...because...I like to remember. It's my hideaway. I've been going there for the past three years," she angrily replied, turning away from him.

The group of six stared at each other on awe. Gracer looked at her and opened his mouth to speak.

"I know what you're going to ask, Gracer," Michelle said. "If I was there the night that man and woman were murdered two years ago. Yes, I was. I know the man who did it too. If you want proof that I was there, I'd have to go home and get it. The reason I didn't speak up earlier was out of fear," Michelle replied as she squirmed free of Frank's grasp.

She walked over to the window and looked out of it. The look on her face appeared deep in thought, as if remembering some long forgotten memory.

"I also know what you're going to ask now. If I'm such a hotshot teenager, why should I be afraid of one man? He would kill me if he knew I was still alive. To cover up that murder and probably the several others that he probably did there," she told them. "I would like to stay alive a little bit longer if you don't mind."

Captain Gracer looked at the team, grinning from ear to ear.

"It looks like you've already gotten somewhere in this case! More than any of us in the past two years. Now all we have to do is keep it alive. Could you do that for me please?" Gracer asked them. "Just imagine. A simple crime brings you to this!"

Frank's face was emotionless, but his team knew him well enough to recognize the shock in his eyes. He stared at the teen, who stared back, and the looks weren't happy ones.

They showed all-out war.

TBC...


	4. Thoughts, Brats and Surprises

Joseph Denner sat quietly in his apartment, looking over the papers on the desk. He sighed before he stood up and walked over to the window, hands behind his back. He stared at the people out on the streets.

"All those pathetic people, going about their business. They haven't a care in the world and neither do I. All I have to do now is wait in the shadows," he said to himself.

He headed outside and walked down the street, staring at the faces of the people around him, studying them, wondering.

Soon, he came to Death Alley. He smiled as he stared at it for a moment before walking on. "If you people ever knew the truth and I know you won't for the lack of evidence. At least now I don't have to worry about that pesky teenager. She must have been scared out of her mind. I guess the only way I have to worry about her is if she somehow gets the guts to tell the police," he said with a smile as he approached the police station. "Now that's one place I will never be in."

He shut his mouth once he saw the group of six walk out of the building. He stopped in his tracks as he stared at the teenager amongst the adults. She appeared to be very upset as they climbed into the vehicle. He watched as they drove off and he snickered.

"Well what do you know? She's alive and she finally squealed to the cops. I guess I'll have to kill her before she does anything else," Joseph whispered to himself.

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Frank was driving the SUV as Michelle and the others sat quietly in the truck. Alex was sitting next to him and she appeared to be slightly nervous, as the others sat uncomfortably in the back seat. He wasn't showing it but they could tell that he was very angry for having to protect the teen who just took his wallet.

"Frank, calm down," she told him. "Is everything alright?"

"Alex, yes. Care to ask the brat sitting in my back seat that question?" he replied.

"Who're you calling a brat?" came Michelle's voice.

"You, because you ARE one," Frank bluntly replied.

Michelle snorted as they drove up to The Nest. The group climbed out of the car and they walked into the building. They watched as Frank silently walked away from them, up the stairs and into his office, closing the door.

"Man, is he really angry," Monica said to no one in particular.

"This is the angriest I've ever seen him," Alex agreed.

Michelle narrowed her eyes as she looked at the four.

"Is he always like that and you can actually tell when that guy is angry?" she asked them.

"Always has been, always will be. That's Frank Donovan for you. Very stubborn man," Jake sighed. "And yes, we can. We've known him long enough to know his moods."

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Frank walked into his office and placed his wallet on the desk. He sighed as he sat down in the chair. "What have we gotten ourselves into?" he asked himself with a sigh as he looked at his hand.

He saw then that his forearm was slightly covered in blood, probably the result of the broken window he pulled the teen through earlier. He was so angry at the time; he never even felt the pain. It wasn't until now that he felt the dull ache coursing through his arm.

He picked up the file about the murder from two years previous and opened it up, glancing over it again until he came to the names of the victims. He immediately closed the file and his eyes, leaning his elbows against the desk as he bit his lip, in thought.

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Michelle sat on the couch, feeling bored as she watched the people move around her, finishing their work until Cody sat down next to her. "So, Michelle," he started as Monica, Jake and Alex walked up to them.

"Yes?" she replied, her eyes looking towards him.

"So what's it like?" he wondered.

"What like?" she quietly replied.

"I don't know. Doing whatever you please, whenever you please, not listening to parents or other people. What's this 'freedom' that you have, like?" he replied.

"Cody, there are times I wonder about you. Your priorities are so out of place," said Jake before she had a chance to answer. "She can't go home by herself. She's in danger from this guy, whoever he is. He might find out and try and kill her, so that means that either one of us stays with her at her house overnight, or she stays at one of our houses," Jake told him.

The four looked at each other.

"Stays at one of our houses," they agreed in unison.

"Good, I hate home and I don't want to be there. I never want to go back there," Michelle told them.

"You hate home? Why?" Monica wondered. "Nobody should hate home."

Michelle looked at her with sad eyes. "You wouldn't understand why," the teen quietly replied, turning away from them.

She stood up and walked across the room, leaning against the wall and sliding down it to the floor. The four felt stupid as they gazed over at her. They were, after all, assuming facts about a teen they had just met.

"So who should she stay with?" wondered Alex.

"Not sure. I guess whoever will take her in for the night at least," Jake said.

At that moment, Frank walked up to them, having finally stepped out of his office. They glanced at him before their stare went back to the teen sitting across the room from them.

"The brat can stay with me for tonight. I know I can't stand the kid but I'll take her in anyway," Frank told them before heading to the door, leaving a stunned team.

"That is not Frank Donovan," Jake said.

"Maybe he was substituted by an alien being and now he's in space, being examined as we speak!" suggested Cody.

He could almost feel the three sets of eyes boring into him after his ridiculous statement.

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Frank walked out to his vehicle, keys in hand. He expected the others to come out soon. He couldn't explain the situation to them just yet. He barely even understood it himself.

He started to open up the door as he heard the slam of another door and heard footsteps slowly getting closer to him.

"What's the matter? If it's about the girl..." he began as he turned around.

He stopped once he saw it was a strange man. "Yes? Is there anything I can help you with?" he asked cautiously.

"Actually, you were right on the nose," the man replied. "You can help me. It's about the girl, and I want you the same way I want her."

"And what way is that?" Frank wondered, worry seeping into his voice.

"Dead," the man told him with an evil smile. "Anyone who helps her is as good as dead where I come from."

The man pulled out a gun and aimed it directlyat Frank, who held his hands up towards him.

"Don't do this. I'm a Federal Agent, you'll be put away for a long time," Frank told him.

"Not where I come from either. You see, I don't tend to leave clues so your murder will go unsolved just like the rest of them!" the man laughed.

At that moment, the five walked out the building. Michelle saw the man aiming the gun at Frank and paled. She slowly moved her head from side to side

"What's wrong?" Monica asked her.

"That's him!" she whispered as she started to back away. "He's here for me and all of you! He's going to kill us all!"

The four were very surprised as Jake and Alex pulled out their guns. They began to advace on Frank and the man next to him. Michelle hid behind Monica, grabbing onto her shirt in a death grip.

"Put down the gun and you won't get hurt!" Jake yelled.

The man just laughed at them. "You won't find me, because you'll be dead before you do!" He snickered as he looked back at Frank. "Prepare to die!"

Frank lunged for the gun as the man pulled the trigger and the gun went off.

TBC...


	5. More Thoughts and Revelations

Frank felt a sharp pain in his abdomen before he fell to the ground. He scrambled back to his feet and pulled out his gun, aiming it at the man, who simply stared at him, laughing.

"You think you cops are so good at what you do? You're never going to catch me!" the man said. "I won't be caught, ever!" Joseph snickered at them as he faced down the barrels of the two guns from Alex and Jake.

"Put the gun down and put your hands in the air, now!" Jake ordered him.

Joseph gave a small laugh as he put down his gun and raised his hands. Jake and Alex walked closer to him as Cody and Monica stayed behind, Michelle still clinging to her. They all carefully watched as Alex and Jake advanced on him.

"Whatever you do to me, you won't get out of this alive," Joseph told them with a laugh.

It was then that the man took off into the semi-darkness. The two started to follow him but the man disappeared into thin air. Jake and Alex walked back to the parking lot.

"We lost him. He's gone," Jake told them as they walked up to Frank.

Monica, Cody and Michelle were already surrounding him by his vehicle. He was breathing a bit more heavily than usual.

"Are you alright, Frank?" asked Monica.

"I'm fine," Frank replied as he reached to open the door. "Now leave me alone." He began to climb into the car but Alex stopped him from completely getting inside.

"You have to get that wound checked out before it gets worse, Frank," Alex told him.

"I said I'm fine, it's nothing serious. Come on Michelle, let's go to your house and get some of your things," he told them.

He got into the car, put the key into the ignition and started the engine. The teen slowly headed over to the passenger seat and climbed inside. She put on the seatbelt and they drove off, leaving the others in a state of shock.

"Alright, that clinches it. Let's call Guinness and have them name him 'The Most Stubborn Man Alive'. Who here agrees with me?" Cody said with a sigh.

"Quit it Cody. There's something else that's bothering me," Jake told them.

"What's that?" asked Monica.

"He called her Michelle," he replied before heading to his own vehicle.

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"You should really get that checked out, you know," Michelle told him.

"Are you deaf, like the others? I said I was fine," he told her with a sigh.

Michelle decided to be quiet until they got to her house and faced the dashboard. She appeared to be deep in thought as Frank glanced over at her.

"What're you thinking about?" he finally asked.

"Why would a Fed want to know what I think?" she replied. "Especially one that doesn't care much about me, of all people?"

She faced him with eyes that questioned him. It's as if they were saying 'do you know what I think you know?' Frank looked at the road again, not saying a word. He didn't know how to reply as he pulled up to the house. "I'll wait in here. You go get some things," he told her.

She nodded her head and got out of the car, looking back at him before heading into the house. She quietly walked up to her bedroom and began to pack several clothes and belongings into a small suitcase she pulled out of her closet.

She was just about finished when Amelia barged into the room and saw what she was doing. "Now where do you think you're going?" demanded Amelia, putting her hands on her hips.

"Why do you care all of a sudden? You never did before," Michelle angrily wondered as she walked down the stairs.

Amelia followed her until she got to the top of the stairs. "You never wanted to listen to me, you've always been a brat! Always has been, always will!" she said to her.

Michelle couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Amelia, you've never liked me, I've never liked you and that's a fact," the teen told her with a laugh in her voice.

"You're not going anywhere!" Amelia angrily replied.

Michelle soon became angry herself. "You can't tell me what to do! You're not my mother!" she yelled at the adult before rushing out the door.

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Frank sat in the car, an arm pressed to his gunshot wound. He shifted his position in the seat as he waited for the kid to come out of the house.

He suddenly heard the slam of a door and looked to see Michelle heading towards the car, a woman following her.

"I really doubt that whoever you're staying with is able to stand you! You're a delinquent and you should be in boot camp right now!" Amelia screamed at her.

Michelle turned around and faced her, anger in her eyes. "Amelia, shut up for once, will you? I'm tired of you ragging on me all the time. Besides, I don't have to listen to you. You're not my mother!" Michelle yelled at her before she opened the car door.

The woman looked in and saw Frank in the driver's seat. "You're going with an older man? That's real smart!" she said.

"I can go with whomever I please. Besides, I feel safer with him than I do you! You don't know what I've been through!" the teen replied.

She climbed in and closed the door. She gave the adult a hard look. Amelia helplessly watched as Frank drove off with Michelle.

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The drive to Frank's apartment was a silent one. Michelle sat with her arms crossed, staring out the window.

Frank glanced over at her. "Michelle, is everything alright?" he asked her.

She stared at him with amazement in her eyes. "You, of all people, are asking me if I'm alright? Now's my turn to ask if you're deaf. I thought you couldn't stand me so why would you care anyway?" she told him before returning her stare back out the window.

Frank didn't respond immediately. "I was curious. Can't a man be curious? Especially since you and that woman back there don't seem to get along too well," he finally replied.

"Amelia's always hated me, I've always hated her. We never got along. That fight you witnessed was normal for us. They're pretty much daily," Michelle told her, now staring out the front of the car.

He stopped the car and stepped out of it, heading towards the building. Michelle followed him, lugging her bag. Frank opened the door and walked inside, the teen following him. She gazed around the apartment before setting down the bag.

"You'll be staying here for the night," he told her.

"I like it already. I just want to assure you on one thing Donovan. You don't have to worry about me taking your wallet anymore or anything else for that matter," she told him.

Frank turned to face the teenager. Their eyes locked and not a word passed between them before Frank broke the gaze and headed towards the bathroom. Michelle sat on the couch and watched him head inside. She had noticed the blood on his arm.

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Frank slowly took off his jacket and bloodied shirt, revealing the painful gunshot wound and the cut on his arm. He looked at it for a moment before grabbing a towel, gently but firmly pressing it against the long, deep graze in his abdomen before gingerly sitting down on the toilet seat.

It was then that he heard the door move slightly, and he gave a sigh. "You're not very good at hiding, you know that?" he called out to Michelle.

She peeked into the bathroom before carefully walking inside. "You should've gotten those wounds checked," she told him.

"It's nothing, I'm fine," he said.

"Is that what you tell everybody, no matter how you're feeling?" she wondered. "Here, let me help you," she told him as she knelt beside him.

She grabbed another towel and wrapped it around his bad arm. After that, she applied some pressure on the gunshot wound.

Frank let go of the towel and watched her. _'Is this the same brat who took my wallet earlier? It can't be! It just can't be,'_ he thought to himself.

He stared away from her, the thoughts swirling through his mind.

00000

"So what? He called her Michelle. What's so wrong with that?" wondered Alex.

"Nothing's wrong with it. It's just that...he's always referred to her as a brat. It surprised me when he called her by her name, but that is not what's bothering me the most," he replied.

"What is, then?" asked Cody.

"That man. He said we wouldn't get out of here alive. How exactly is it that he's going to do this?" he replied.

The three looked at each other before looking back at him and shrugging their shoulders.

"My point exactly. Who's to say that he hasn't done anything to the building, so to speak? To get rid of us once and for all for taking in Michelle and protecting her?" he told them. "Maybe this guy knows something we don't."

The four looked at other, that idea strong in their minds.

"We should keep in contact with each other often then, so we'll know if something's happened to any of us," suggested Cody.

The three looked at him in surprise.

"Is this our Cody? It can't be! Cody's never serious!" Monica said.

"What?" he asked, holding out his hands.

"There's only one problem," Monica said as they looked at each other.

"Frank!" they all said in unison.

00000

Joseph looked at the building Frank and Michelle had walked into. "So this is where you live her little Savior? Thanks for leading me here so I can kill both of you more easily!" Joseph said with a smile.

He headed towards the building, no one noticing a suspicious-looking package sitting underneath his arm...

TBC...


	6. Dangerous Turn of Events

"We should call Frank," suggested Monica.

Jake immediately pulled out his cell phone and dialed Frank's number. It rang a few times before he got voice mail. He closed it, obviously angry. "No answer. What if something's happened already?" he said.

"We should go and check, just in case," Alex suggested.

"Good idea," Cody agreed as they got themselves ready for the trip.

00000

Frank tried to hide the cringes of pain as Michelle gently washed away the blood.

"I've got a question for you, Donovan. Why didn't you get this checked out at a hospital? I mean, this does look pretty bad," wondered the teen as she dabbed at the wound.

Frank hesitated for moment before answering. "Because it's fine," came the reply.

Two eyes looked up at his face. He noticed her staring up at him.

"You and I are a lot alike Frank Donovan. More than I think you'd care to admit," she finally told him.

Frank was stunned by her statement. Michelle saw that the only reaction he made was though his eyes.

"Why would you think that now?" he asked. "We aren't alike at all," he replied, turning his stare away from her.

"When I was 10, I was the same gutsy lady I am now. My parents didn't like this attitude of mine at all," Michelle suddenly said.

"What has that got to do with...?" started Frank.

"Well, I was at school - believe it or not I do go - and I wanted to try something new. So I climbed to the top of the slide and I jumped off it," she continued, putting some alcohol on the wound.

Frank blinked his eyes a few times, trying to stifle a gasp of pain. She stared into his eyes again, wondering what his reaction was going to be.

"That was crazy," he mentioned.

"No more crazy than the things I'm doing these days to stay alive! Anyway, when I hit the ground, pain shot through my leg. The teachers, principal, other students, even my own parents kept trying to persuade me to go get it checked and a cast if I needed it for I had a really bad limp. I kept telling them I was fine. It wasn't until almost a week later before someone finally dragged me in to get it checked," she explained to him.

Frank didn't say a word the entire time, listening to a story similar to something he could tell.

"And it was a good thing too," she said. "My ankle was so badly broken, the doctors wondered how I was able to walk on it for so long. I had to have a cast on it for two months after that little stunt," she said, as she finished wiping the blood from Frank's wound.

"You seem to know this well," he told her, impressed at her first aid skill.

"When you're out on the street as much as I am, you sometimes learn a few tricks besides street smarts," she told him. "I've learned how to treat my wounds over the past two years."

Frank stared at her after the statement with curious eyes. "Two years?" he repeated.

She nodded, with a sigh. "That's how long I've been staying with Amelia. With anyone like her, you'd want to have some sort of medical knowledge."

Although he didn't show it, Frank was amazed by this new information.

00000

Jospeh continued to gaze at the building, the package still underneath his arm. "It's such a sin that I have to get rid of such a pretty face and her protector," he mused, walking into the lobby of the building.

Once inside, he glanced from side to side.

"Such a pity, but I can't go to jail after what I've done. I have to kill the wench," he said with a sigh.

00000

Jake dialed Frank's number again on his way to his apartment. It rang a couple of times before someone picked up.

"Hello?" came a female voice.

"Michelle, is that you?" he said.

"Yes, it's me. What's wrong Jake?" she asked.

"Listen to me carefully. The others and I are worried about that guy that showed up at The Nest earlier tonight. I have a feeling that he may have done something or will do something. We're coming over right now to check on things," Jake told her.

"Alright, we'll be waiting. I doubt Donovan could go anywhere anyway," she said.

"Where is he right now?" wondered Jake.

"Resting on the couch. I pretty much had to drag him there but he's there," Michelle replied.

Jake raised his eyebrows at the statement. "I'll see you when we get there, okay?" he finally said.

"I hear you," came Michelle's voice before both hung up the phones.

Jake placed the phone down and put his hand back on the steering wheel. _'I hope nothing happens before we get there,'_ he thought.

Michelle put down the phone just as it began to ring again.

_'Now that's weird. Why would they call back again so soon?'_ she thought as she picked up the phone once more. "Hello?"

"Why, hello young lady. Remember me?" came a menacing voice.

Michelle paled. "How'd you get this number? Even better, how'd you find us?" she demanded as she heard the familiar voice.

"I followed you here. I just want to tell you to have fun, for you won't make it out alive!" Joseph told her before hanging up the phone.

Frank opened his eyes and looked over at her. "What's wrong?" he quietly asked.

"He's here. We have to get out! He's here!" she screamed as her eyes bulged out.

She put a hand over her mouth as her eyes frantically looked around the apartment. Frank felt a feeling of horror deep within his gut; something was going to happen.

00000

Jake and the others pulled up to the apartment building. They looked into the lobby to see a familiar figure heading towards the elevator.

"We've got to get him!" cried Monica.

"You two stay here. We'll go ahead. Once it's safe, you go up and check on Frank and Michelle!" Alex told both her and Cody.

The two nodded as Alex and Jake moved closer, guns ready. They carefully walked up the stairs o Frank's level and looked down the hallways until they saw Joseph turn a corner. They followed him, only to meet up with the barrel of a gun once they turned the corner.

"I know why you're here!" Joseph told them.

"Don't do this!" Alex said.

"I know I don't have to but I will anyway. You see, I am a man who's done things that that kid has already threatened to expose two years ago. She has to die tonight," the man told them. "Now go back down those stairs and outside!"

Jake and Alex looked at each other, a silent message passing between them. They suddenly both lunged and tackled Joseph to the ground, the package flying out of his arm and landing nearby.

"Good, we finally got this guy!" Alex sighed.

"I agree totally Alex. One man causing so much trouble." agreed Jake.

Joseph started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" asked Alex.

He didn't have to answer for now they heard the ticking coming from inside the package. The two looked at each other in fear, giving Joseph the chance to escape down the stairwell. Jake ran after him as Alex pulled out her cell phone.

Frank answered the phone.

"Hello?" he said.

"Frank! Get out of the building, there's a bomb in here!" Alex told him.

"A bomb?" he repeated.

"Yes, a bomb. We have to evacuate as many people as possible!" she replied.

"Of course!" he replied before hanging up the phone. "Michelle, we have to get going!"

She obeyed and headed towards the door, but before they could get anywhere, Frank suddenly sank to his knees with a groan, grasping his stomach. Michelle hurried over to him.

"See, we told you that should've been checked!" she exclaimed.

Helping him to his feet, she lent him as much support as she could.

Soon, they were on their way out the door, hearing the sirens of the fire engines in the distance. The walk down the hall was slower than Frank liked, but his injury was proving to be worse than he thought, and they passed the bomb on the way, not realizing what the package contained.

"Come on, we have to hurry!" Michelle told him, as they neared the stairwell.

00000

Jake and Alex were outside with Monica and Cody.

"Where's Frank?" asked Monica.

"Still inside. They should be outside any time now," Jake replied.

"Some people are outside already," Cody told them. "We went in and got a few people out."

"Good," Alex said.

00000

Frank and Michelle made it to the top of the stairwell.

"We're almost there. Think we can make it out from here?" asked Michelle.

Frank nodded, but before they could go any further, the bomb decided to explode, sending debris everywhere. Michelle screamed, and Frank automatically shielded her with his body as the blast came right at them. Fire suddenly ripped through the building as the fire trucks pulled up. The four team members were shocked at the sight.

"Frank!" they all cried.

TBC...


	7. Aftermath of a Madman's Deed

The four watched as the building exploded into flames. All their mouths dropped as the fire

"Nobody could've gotten out of that!" Alex exclaimed, in horror.

"Let's just hope Frank and Michelle were far enough away from it before it blew," Cody mentioned.

"We can't hope just yet. We don't know how long it took them to get to wherever. They still could be in his apartment for all we know!" Monica said, sounding upset.

"We'll just have to wait and see," sighed Jake as they all looked at the destroyed building before them.

00000

Michelle groaned as she tried to push herself up, only to find something keeping her down. She turned her head to find the unconscious form of Frank on top of her. She gasped at the sight, the tears forming in her eyes. The first thing she noticed was the injuries to his back.

"Frank, what have you done?" she wondered as she stared at the burns on his back. She moved out from under him, before trying to stand on the now unstable floor. "We must have been closer to it than we originally thought but why aren't we dead? We both should be dead now."

She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear as she looked around the place. They were at the top of the stairs. She figured that they must have been protected somewhat by the nearby walls from the blast.

"What can I do? I just can't leave him here," she said before looking at him.

She knew what her course of action was now.

00000

Joseph watched the building from afar. He laughed as the firefighters put out the flames. He noticed the four nearby. "What are you going to do now? Both of them are gone and there's nothing you can do to stop me. I can do anything and not get caught. I'm after all of you now!" Joseph told himself before walking away into the shadows.

Michelle began to head towards the stairs, carefully walking down them. She knew she had to get out of there before anything else happened to them. Somehow, she managed to drag Frank's much larger frame down the stairs. It wasn't easy, and she looked back up at the area where they were just standing.

"What have I gotten these people into?" she asked herself before taking another step.

A dull pain kept coursing through her arm and knee but she didn't care as she headed for the front door.

00000

Jake sat in driver's seat of the car as Monica sat beside him.

"It's my fault. Once Alex and I found out there was a bomb, we should've gotten Frank and Michelle out first, then found that guy later. Without her, this case has nowhere to go and we were supposed to protect her!" Jake said with a hand on his head.

"Listen, it's not your fault. It's the fault of this guy that's after her. He's the one who committed these crimes and he's the one who wants to kill Michelle," Monica told him.

"Look!" came Cody's voice.

The two looked at him to see he was pointing at the building.

"What's wrong Cody?" Monica called over to him.

"Nothing's wrong! It's them! They survived the blast!" he cried.

"No, they didn't. How could they?" Jake said.

"Yes, they did!" Cody retorted as he ran for the building.

"Cody, wait!" yelled Alex, reaching out for him but he was soon out of range.

Cody hurried up to a couple of the firefighters and began talking to them, pointing as he was doing so. They looked in the direction he was aiming at and they hurried to where Cody was talking about.

"Hey, over here!" called one of the fire fighters. "We need some help over here."

He started to move some fallen rubble off the two people as the paramedics ran over and immediately began treating them.

Monica, Alex and Jake looked on as they saw the two being pulled out of the debris. They gasped when they saw it was indeed Frank and Michelle.

The team hurried to the hospital after the ambulance. They were surprised when they saw Frank alive, but by what they saw of him, he didn't look too well. They hurried into the lobby, worried about both him and Michelle.

A doctor walked up to them. "How can I help you?" he asked the group.

"A man just came in here. So did a young girl," Alex told him.

"Oh yes, them. Come with me," the doctor told them, leading the way.

The four followed him to a nearby room, where they patiently waited for news. Soon, they heard footsteps outside the room and Michelle walked in.

"Michelle, are you alright?" Cody asked her.

She nodded as she crossed her arms. "I'm fine. I'm worried more about Donovan right now," she replied as she limped over to a chair and sat down in it.

"What exactly happened?" asked Monica.

"We unknowingly passed the bomb. We were at the top of the stairs when it went off. Donovan shielded me from the blast. I don't know why he did it but he did," she told them, leaning against her arm. "The injuries I saw weren't good at all."

Cody, Monica and Jake all looked at each other with worry in their eyes. Alex's stare went over to the door to see a doctor standing there.

"How is he?" she asked him, heading over to him.

"He's in serious condition. If he's going to live, the next several hours are critical. He has severe burns on his back from the blast; the scars will probably be there for the rest of his life. Whoever did this knew what they were doing," he replied as the Cody and Jake joined them.

"Can we see him?" wondered Jake.

"Not right now, maybe in a little bit. He's still unconscious and he's lost a serious amount of blood," replied the doctor.

They nodded and turned back to Michelle, who handed Monica a videotape.

"What's this?" she asked.

"That evidence that can put Joseph Denner behind bars for good. It's the murder I witnessed a couple years ago. I managed to catch it on tape," she replied with a sigh, putting a hand up to her face. "Stupid knee."

"Not broken, is it?" wondered Cody.

She shook her head. "Just bruised, that's all. Same with the wrist," she replied.

"Joseph Denner, you say? I've heard of him," Monica told the others.

"You have?" asked Michelle, a bit surprised.

"Yes. I met him one day while I was shopping. He dropped a package and I picked it up for him. We started talking. I haven't seen him since," she replied, shocked that he would be responsible for all this. 'So he's our man?'

"We better keep guard on Frank during his stay, we don't want Mr. Denner to visit him while he's here," suggested Alex.

The others nodded in agreement but Michelle appeared to be slightly worried as she limped out of the waiting room. The teenager looked from side to side before quickly stepping into Frank's room. Her eyes showed great sadness as she gazed at his unconscious form. She folded her arms on the side of the bed and placed her head in them

"I'm so sorry I ever brought you into this," she whispered to him, a single tear sliding down her face.

TBC...


	8. A Look Into the Past and Understanding

Monica and Jake walked into Frank's hospital room to see Michelle fast asleep in the chair next to the bed. The two smiled at her as they stepped up to the bed.

"Imagine, Frank Donovan having a way with teenagers. I never would've thought it," Monica whispered to Jake.

"Yeah," Jake quietly agreed. "It's something, indeed. What's been getting me, has been his behavior in the past 24 hours."

Monica narrowed her eyes. "How so?" she wondered. "Sure he's been acting slightly different than what he usually does..."

"That's my point! He started off very angry at the girl, but look at him now! He risked his life for her. I first started to wonder about Frank the moment her agreed to take her in for the night, even though he couldn't stand the fact that shew stole his wallet. Then after he got shot, he calls her Michelle? That might not seem odd but it does when he'd been calling her something else the entire time," Jake explained.

"I agree with you Jake but how will we ever know what goes on in that mind of his? You know how stubborn he can get," Monica replied.

"I know. That's what's bothering me now," he replied as he looked over at Michelle.

He left the room, leaving Monica wondering about what he just said.

00000

Jake met up with Cody and Alex, who were in the waiting room. They stood up once they saw him heading towards them.

"How is he?" asked Alex.

"Still the same. Listen, we've got to catch this guy before he really does kill Michelle and Frank. He almost did tonight. I say we meet up at The Nest first thing in the morning and figure out what we have and what we need to get about this situation," suggested Jake. "What do you say to that?"

The others nodded in agreement as Monica came into the room.

"We better get some sleep. We've had a long day," she told them

00000

At The Nest the next morning, the four sat down, the case papers in front of them.

"So the guy we're after is Joseph Denner, a local man with no current criminal record," Alex started.

"Though he will have one when we finally get him. I watched this tape last night. It's the same man who's after us all right and it looks like she hid in the same spot she hid from Frank in Death Alley after we gave chase," Monica continued.

"And he's willing to do anything and everything to cover up any evidence linking him to this murder and any others that he's done," Jake said. "If he knew about this tape, I don't know what would happen now and I have a feeling Frank knows something we don't."

"What makes you think so?" wondered Monica.

"His attitude, that's all," replied Jake.

Cody wasn't listening. He was glued to the computer screen, looking for anything of value for the case. His eyes scrolled down the screen until he came to something interesting.

"Hello, what are you?" he said to no one in particular as he began punching on the keyboard.

"What is it Cody? Did you find something?" asked Alex as they hurried over to him.

"I think I might have! Look at this; 'Couple found dead in Chicago alleyway'. What do you make of that?" he replied.

"What does it say Cody?" Monica said.

"It goes on to tell how these two people, a man and woman, were killed in Death Alley. That there were no clues, no leads, no witnesses. Until now that is," Cody told them.

"Cody, we already know all that. Where're you going with this?" Jake said.

Cody didn't answer. Instead, he walked over to the table and picked up the folder with all the case info in it. He opened it up and shook his head, giving a laugh. "You know, we should've seen this sooner. I think Frank might've made the connection and we didn't realize it," he finally said.

"What?" the three asked.

"The two that were killed two years ago? Their names were Michael and Savann Hana," Cody said, dropping the folder onto the table, showing them the pictures and names of the man and woman. "And they had a daughter."

00000

Michelle sat by Frank's side with a sigh. "I don't knowwhy you're doing this Donovan. I wish you could tell me," she told him as she put her chin in her hands.

She stared at his gentle breathing and emotionless face.

"He looks so peaceful," she whispered to herself

She stepped out the door, accidentally running into Alex and Monica. All of them were slightly surprised as Michelle put a hand on her chest.

"What're you two doing here? I thought you and the others were figuring out stuff about this case," Michelle told them.

"We are. Michelle, why don't you come in here with us?" Monica replied, leading her back into Frank's room.

She followed them, curious about what they wanted to discuss with her. "What is it?" she wondered as Monica and Alex stood at Frank's side.

Alex looked over at the curious teen. "We just want to ask you a few questions about that night two years ago. First, did you know the people that were murdered?" she asked her.

"Yes, I did. They were good friends of the family," she replied, looking away from them.

Michelle's eyes saddened as she sat down in one of the chairs. They both noticed immediately but neither thought it was the best time to say anything.

"Why would you Feds want to care about whether or not they were friends anyway? Why would you want to care about me for that matter? I'm just a teenager pretty much living on her own," Michelle replied, now looking out the window.

"Because we want to help you, that's why. Even Frank, in his own strange way," replied Monica as Michelle glanced over at her before staring back out of the window.

"Joseph will be back. I know of it. Once he finds out that we're both alive, he'll come back and attempt to kill us again," Michelle said, out of the blue.

Alex and Monica looked at each other, knowing what the four of them had to do.

TBC...


	9. Comes Monday Morning

The first thing that Frank became aware of was pain and the darkness around him. He squinted his eyes and groaned, putting a hand up to his head.

"Frank?" he heard a woman say in the distance. "How're you feeling?"

"I'm fine," he managed to say as he opened his eyes to see Alex and Cody hovering over him.

"If you're fine, then I'm the King of England," smirked Cody as he crossed his arms.

"You're finally awake!" Alex said, sounding relieved. "It's Monday morning and you've been unconscious since Friday night."

"It's Monday already?" asked Frank as he tried to sit up. He felt two pairs of hands try and keep him down on the bed.

"Oh no you're not! You're not well enough to go anywhere," Alex told him as he carefully lay back down. "You just received some serious injuries! First with the gunshot wound - which should've been checked out right away - and now these burns? It's amazing both you and Michelle are still alive!" Alex told him.

"Where's...Michelle?" asked Frank, breathing heavily, trying not to let his pain show.

"We sent her to school. She's still a bit shook up from Friday but Jake's with her. Monica's back at The Nest, looking over the info we gathered over the weekend about Denner," Cody replied.

"Denner?" Frank repeated, not recognizing the name.

"Joseph Denner. He's the man we're after and the same one who put the bomb...in your apartment building," Alex explained, looking away.

"We haven't seen him since and neither has the local police," Cody put in.

"You're going to stay with one of us," said Alex. "Until you can find a new apartment and those injuries of yours heal some more."

Frank attempted to shift his position, trying to hide the winces of pain as he did so. His eyes told a story to Alex and Cody.

00000

Michelle walked into the lobby of her school, Jake right behind her before they stopped just inside.

"Michelle, don't you think this is a bit too conspicuous?" he quietly asked her.

"It is if you know something but none of these people know anything and some of them I've known since I was a child," she replied.

"Sure, now let's get to your principal," Jake told her as she started to lead him to the office.

They walked in the door. She looked at the principal in her office and walked inside with Jake following her. The woman looked up from her paperwork at them as Jake closed the door.

"Michelle Hana. You're someone I never expect to see on a Monday morning. What did you do this time?" she asked.

"I did nothing this time though people do tend to come to that conclusion when I come in here. You see, there's a little situation I'm involved in and have to keep in contact with Jake Shaw here until it settles over so I'll be having a cell phone in class," she explained.

The principal's eyebrows raised as she looked at her. "Are you serious?" she asked and the two nodded. "Alright. You can have it," she replied, wondering what was going on.

The two walked out of the room to greet the other students. One walked up to her.

"Hey Michelle. Where'd you dig this guy up?" he asked with a laugh.

Michelle gave him an impatient look. "Leave me alone Tommy. I'm not in the mood," she angrily told him. "And don't make me come over there!"

Jake noticed the boy quivered a bit in fear. _'Whoa. She must have some power in this school if the boys of her age act like that,'_ he thought to himself as she walked to her first class. "Are you going to be good for the day?"

Michelle nodded before walking into the classroom and Jake headed outside.

00000

Frank looked up at Alex, Cody and now Monica. "I'm not staying in here. I have to go..." he started, trying to life himself up.

"Oh no! You're not just yet. Not unless the doctors say you're alright to leave, we're not letting you go anywhere!" Cody told him just as a doctor walked into the room.

He looked between the four before his stare came to Frank. "Mr. Donovan, we're glad to see you've awoken. You'll soon be able to leave, just like you asked, but not until tomorrow because we'd like to keep an eye on you for 24 more hours," the doctor told him.

Alex, Cody and Monica could see the look of 'why not now?' in Frank's eyes.

00000

At the end of the day, Michelle packed up her books as Jake walked up to her.

"Ready?" he asked her.

She nodded as they walked out of the room into the lobby. Michelle glanced up from the book she was reading and gazed outside. "Such a beautiful day out, isn't it?" she asked him.

"Yeah, it is," he agreed as they climbed into the car.

Jake started the ignition and started towards the hospital, unaware that they had someone watching them from afar.

00000

Once they arrived, they went up to Frank's room to see that he was awake.

"Frank, how're you feeling?" asked Jake.

"Fine," he replied.

"That's just like you!" Jake said with a laugh.

"He said the same thing this morning," said Alex. "They're letting him tonight, by his request. He managed to persuade them!"

Jake gave a sigh as he shook his head and Monica walked inside.

"That's our Frank for them. Hey Monica, find out anything else about our man?" he asked her.

"Nothing that we already knew. He's a man who leads a normal life in one aspect but kills for pleasure in a totally different one and these two that he killed had no connection to him," she said as Cody came in.

Cody was gazing at the papers in his hands before looking up at them as Monica looked at the teen. She could see sadness in Michelle's eyes.

"Listen, I've got homework to do. I'll be at Amelia's if you need me," Michelle suddenly piped up as she headed out of the room.

"I'll go with you," Alex told her as she followed.

Jake, Cody and Monica watched them go before their stare came to Frank.

"There's something going on that girl's head. Something that she doesn't want to tell us," mumbled Jake as Frank shifted his position.

Frank gasped out in pain, alarming his co-workers. They hurried over to him as he put his hands on his side.

"Frank, what's wrong?" asked Cody.

"Nothing," he replied, stubborn to the end.

Later that night, Cody helped Frank sit down on a chair in Jake's living room as the others looked on.

"Now Frank. I want you to answer something for us," Monica told him.

"Whatever it is, I don't know," he immediately replied, trying not to let his back touch the chair.

"You mean you didn't know about Michelle and the two people who were murdered? I mean, you looked at the file before we did. Nothing stood out to you?" asked Jake, putting his hands in his pockets.

_'Should I tell them?'_ he wondered. "Yes, I did look at the file. I saw the names. I made the connection. Is that what you want to hear? Michelle deserves better than what she has because her parents died in a brutal murder," he told them, the impatience obvious in his eyes.

He looked away from them as they looked at each other in shock.

TBC...


	10. Heading Back to the Place of Lost Dreams

The team looked between each other as Frank sat in the chair before them. He placed his head in his palm and his elbow on the arm of the chair. They looked at him only to see the exhaustion in his eyes.

"Come on Frank, let's get you to bed. You need some sleep," Cody told him as he and Jake advanced towards him.

"I'll be fine," he replied as he started to stand up.

They watched as Frank walked a couple of steps before stumbling and catching the edge of the couch. Their faces showed worry: they'd never seen Frank Donovan like this before. Jake hurried to his side and helped him sit into the chair so he could re-gather some strength.

"We'll wait until the morning before deciding anything," Jake said to him.

Frank reluctantly nodded as Monica, Alex and Cody walked out of the room. Jake helped Frank to the bedroom and he looked back at them before staring forward and closing his eyes. He opened them slightly as he carefully sat on the bed and looked away from Jake.

00000

The next afternoon, Frank slowly walked outside with Jake, meeting up with the others outside.

"How're you doing Donovan?" asked Michelle, who had joined them.

"Fine. Michelle, I have to make a request of you," Frank told her.

"Sure, what?" she replied, a smirk on her face.

"I would like to go back to Death Alley and have you recount what happened the night those two people were killed," Frank said.

Michelle's expression changed almost immediately. It turned into an expression of 'are you serious?' before she turned away from the group and walked a few steps.

She stood there, arms by her side for a few seconds before nodding her head. "Yes, I'll do it," she told them, putting a hand up to her face to wipe away the tears, her voice filling with sadness.

Monica walked up to her and put her hands on the teen's shoulders. Michelle looked at her through the tears.

"Come on. We're all going together," Monica told her.

Michelle nodded as they headed towards the dangerous alley.

Once there, Michelle walked further into the alley, looking from side to side, remembering. "There was a struggle out in the street," she told them as the memories flashed before her. "The two, a man and a woman, were pushed in here by a group of men, led by Joseph Denner. The couple was then severely beaten before Joseph shot them."

She stared at the spot where the two people had lain, dead. The tears started to well up in her eyes again. She walked to the building where she'd hid that night.

"I tripped, and that's when Joseph saw me. He never saw the camera I had. I ran and two of his men came after me. They shot at me twice, one slicing me in the arm; that's why I want to the hospital. The two men never followed me inside. I'm assuming Denner killed them because they didn't complete their job; killing me," Michelle replied, her voice now racked with sadness.

The five team members looked at each other, guilt written all over them. They knew they pretty much treated the kid as an uncaring, spoiled and tough teenager who thought of no one but herself. Frank felt more guilt than the others. He closed his eyes, wondering what he could do for the teen.

"Well, well, well!" came a familiar voice. "What do you know? It's six for the price of one today!"

The all looked to see Joseph Denner standing at the entrance of the alley, a gun in each hand. Both Alex and Jake pulled out their guns. Cody and Monica took Michelle and Frank - who protested all the way - far enough away from the three.

"Drop the guns, Denner!" Jake told him.

"Do I really have to?" Denner sarcastically asked him as he aimed them at the group.

"What do you want from us?" demanded Monica.

"Why, that's simple! I want all of you dead! You all know who I am and if I let even one of you go, I can go to jail for a long time. I can't let that happen," Joseph explained to them as he walked closer.

"I've waited for this day ever since I saw you in that building young lady. Come with me and no one else gets hurt," Jospeh told her, quietly starting to laugh. "I won't kill them."

Michelle gave a deep sigh. She looked at the five surrounding her before she began to head towards Joseph. The group was surprised by this action. Frank tried to grab her arm but she was just out of reach.

"Michelle, what are you doing?" he asked her.

"I'm going with him so nobody else gets hurt. You've already been hurt enough, Frank Donovan," she replied as she headed towards the man.

She knelt before Joseph and looked up at him. "I'm ready. Do it now before I change my mind," she said.

"I never knew it would be this easy!" snickered Joseph as he aimed the gun right at her head.

The determination in Frank's eyes burned bright before he suddenly went after the teen.

"Frank, no!" cried Cody and Monica in unison as they reached for him.

But he was out of reach and he pushed Michelle out of harm's way. They landed on the hard pavement near the wall, Frank giving an involuntary gasp at the impact. Michelle could see the pain in his eyes as they lay there. She saw that he'd protected her from hitting the wall.

"Frank!" she managed to say as she climbed to a sitting position, finally seeing the blood.

Frank said nothing, am arm still around her, but he soon dropped it to the ground as he continued to breathe heavily, wincing from his painful injuries. Jospeh was very surprised by this action. He couldn't help but stare at the two for a moment before he growled and aimed the gun at them. Michelle closed her eyes tightly and heard a gun go off.

But she felt no pain.

Michelle cautiously opened one eye to see Joseph still standing there, his eyes wide open. He wasn't moving at all before he suddenly dropped his arms. His grip loosened on the gun and it fell to the ground before he stumbled back against the empty building. Michelle gasped as she watched the spectacle. She looked up to see Jake dropping his arm to his side.

"Looks like we don't have to worry about him much longer!" he said to the others before they hurried up to Frank and Michelle.

"Frank!" Monica called to him.

They carefully looked over their dazed boss, to see that his back wounds had begun bleeding slightly through his shirt, and his arm was bleeding a bit through the bandages.

"Man, he's been through enough! What else could go wrong?" asked Alex as she guarded Joseph, who was groaning in pain from his gunshot wound.

"Let's call the authorities and let them know who's down here. Then they'll have those murders solved!" Cody suggested.

The others nodded in agreement.

TBC...


	11. Out of the Ashes, Comes New Life

The police were soon there in the alley and the paramedics were preparing Frank and Joseph for the trip to the hospital.

"Make sure someone goes to the hospital with Denner," Monica told the police. "This tape will convict him of the murders from two years ago."

Captian Gracer walked up to the group. "I really don't know how to thank you. You've helped solve cases that went unsolved for years now!" he told them.

"Thanks, but I think Frank is the one you should thank more. After all, he was the one who kept the evidence alive," Alex said.

"Frank? Frank Donovan? I thought he couldn't stand the girl!" Gracer said with surprise in his voice.

"That's what we thought as well, until he saved her from certain death. Twice actually," Monica replied.

Gracer looked over at Frank, who was being put into the ambulance. "Well I'll be. The man without feelings finally showed some," he whispered to himself as he watched the ambulance drive away from the scene.

Cody turned and noticed Michelle sitting near the front of the alley. He walked over and sat down beside her. "What's wrong Michelle?" he asked her.

"I never thought this day would come, Cody. I have been waiting for it for two years now," she told them, the tears still shimmering in her eyes.

"Well, it's all over now. You don't have to worry about a thing. He's not on your tail anymore and everything's back to the way it should be. You should be happy!" Cody told her as he put an arm around her shoulders.

"Yes, it should be but it isn't," she replied standing up as the others walked over.

"Why isn't it?" asked Jake.

"I have to go back to Amelia," Michelle told them as she looked at them.

"But she's your mother! Don't give up on your life!" Monica told them.

The tears started falling down her face again. "Monica, Cody, Alex, Jake.you don't understand. Amelia's not my real mother and my life ended when my parents were killed by this madman two years ago. There's nothing more for me in this world. There's no one here who cares about a troubled teen like me," she told them before walking away.

They watched her leave, wondering what to do.

"So young and yet been through so much. What are we to do?" Jake asked the others.

"I don't know Jake," replied Alex. "I simply don't know."

00000

A couple days later, Frank got out of the hospital. His team joined him as they walked out the door.

"Hey Frank, we have a little surprise for you," Alex told him.

"Really? What is it?" he asked, his eyes showing curiosity.

"Well, you're going to have to wait and see, Frank. It's a surprise after all," Cody told him.

Frank decided to be quiet about the topic when they climbed into Jake's vehicle. Jake got into the driver's seat and eased the car out of the parking lot. The whole group remained silent for the entire journey.

Soon, they stopped outside a building and Frank looked up at it.

"What's this all about?" he wanted to know.

"Well, it's kind of like a gift from the police station. They know of the explosion at your old apartment and they wanted to thank you for saving Michelle so she can testify against Denner and for not adding another casualty to the alley's toll. So they all looked for an apartment that they thought you'd like and they found this. They told us to go in and check it out. If you don't like it, they'll keep an eye out for another one," Alex explained with a smile.

They climbed out of the vehicle and into the building, looking over the spacious apartment.

"It looks like a nice place. I think I will come here even though there're two bedrooms. Must tell them thanks once I get the chance to," Frank said.

"Man, they must know you well if they found you a place that you like!" Cody said with a laugh.

"Now you have room for any company you happen to have," Monica told him.

Frank sighed as he stared at his team. "Speaking of company, have you heard anything about Michelle?" he asked them.

The team looked between each other before looking at Frank.

"We haven't heard anything about her since the attack in the alley. We haven't seen her either. She was pretty upset though, acting as if there was nothing else to live for," Jake told him as he scratched the back of his head.

Frank walked up to the window and looked out it, thoughts running through his mind.

00000

Michelle sat in her seat at school, staring off into space. She thought she heard her name being called from in the distance. She put down the pencil she was staring at and barely made any reaction to the person saying it.

"Michelle, is there...?" the teacher started again before deciding not to go on. "Now I know there's something wrong. Sean, take her down to the principal's office."

The student nodded and began to lead the distraught Michelle down the hallway. Along the way, she took notice of him. "There's nothing left," she told him.

"What? Nothing left? What do you mean by that Michelle?" he asked.

"There's nothing left," she repeated as she was led into the office.

She was taken into a back room. She was checked over by the school nurse and laid down on the table. The nurse walked up to the principal. "She appears to have a case of depression. I don't know what else would cause such a severe change in attitude," the principal was told as they looked over at the teen.

"We'd better call Amelia and have her take Michelle home," the principal suggested as the nurse nodded in agreement.

Amelia was driving the car home. She glanced over at Michelle occasionally, who was staring blankly out the window.

"Michelle, I know we never got along, but would you care to talk about it?" the woman asked the teen.

"Maybe someday soon. I'd prefer not to talk about it just yet," Michelle quietly replied.

Amelia gave a sigh before her eyes perked up.

"I have news for you Michelle. You've got a permanent home now. I was called earlier and they said there's someone looking to find a home for you," Amelia told her.

Michelle twirled around with wide eyes, to stare at the woman driving. "You've got to be kidding me! Someone actually wants me?" she cried out.

"Apparently, but don't even start on who it is. I've met him already and I've promised to keep it a surprise. He'll be here in a few days to pick you up. Don't worry about all the paperwork. I've got it all covered," Amelia replied as they drove up in front of the house.

Michelle couldn't help but wonder who it was.

Several days later, Michelle stood in front of the empty bedroom for one last time. She took in every corner before she had to leave for good.

She turned, tears in her eyes. She grabbed her bags and started to head toward the stairs. She walked to the top of them when she heard the door open and close and suddenly heard talking between a man and Amelia. She had just gotten to the bottom of the steps when she looked to where the voices were coming from.

_'Now why do I know that voice?'_ she asked herself as she walked into the kitchen. She found the last person she ever expected to see again.

Frank Donovan.

"Frank?!" she cried out. "You're the one who's adopting me?"

"Yes, I am," he said with a smile. "There's no problem with that, is there?"

She vigorously shook her head with a smile, before walking up to Amelia.

"Bye Amelia. I'm going to miss all the arguments we always had," Michelle told her.

"So am I. Will you come visit every once in a while?" replied Amelia.

Michelle smiled. "Of course," came the reply.

They gave each other a hug before Frank led Michelle out of the home for the last time.

The End


End file.
